The History of Ornamentation Development in Music, Principles of its Formation and Performance Style

• Main Author: Gunel Bakirova
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: KNUKiM Publishing Centre 2020-12-01
• Series: Вісник Київського національного університету культури і мистецтв. Серія: Музичне мистецтво
• Subjects: ornamentation; baroque; keyboard music; style; piano; ornament; performance
• Online Access: http://musical-art.knukim.edu.ua/article/view/219167
• ISSN: 2616-7581; 2617-4030

This article deals with the history of the development of ornamentation in keyboard music, the principles of its formation and performance styles. Ornamentation is one of the greatest means of expression in keyboard performance. It has ancient historical roots. In keyboard music, ornamentation was subject to various changes depending on the period. Ornamentation manifests itself in various forms in keyboard music. Thus, ornamentation is not just a means of embellishment. It is considered as the main component in the creation of a work. Embellishments are also essential as an aesthetic factor. The purpose of this research is to review the principle of the embellishments’ historical development, to classify the types of ornamentation in music and to determine the role of embellishments in music. At the same time, the research clarifies the concept of the style of ornamentation in the keyboard music of Western Europe. The research methodology is based on a comprehensive musical-analytical, theoretical and historical analysis, a synthesis of the Western European and Russian musicologists’ scientific literature regarding the subject of ornamentation. The research includes links to articles published with regard to ornamentation in music encyclopedias, and the conclusions have been scientifically substantiated. The scientific novelty of the research. For the first time in the framework of the musical science of Azerbaijan, the features and principles of the ornamentation performance in Western European keyboard music were studied. The findings of the study can be used for future research. Conclusions. Ornamentation is important in the keyboard music of Western Europe and acts as its main means of expression. The development of ornamentation in keyboard music is directly related to the art of improvisation. So, embellishments are considered as the main means of expression in the art of improvisation. In keyboard music, ornamentation is not only an embellishment of the melody. Along with the structure of the melody, it also plays an important role in creating the rhythmic structure of the work, the artistic content of the work, and the shape of the texture. Musicologists have considered ornamentation from the point of view of various prisms and classified it in various forms. In the modern period, ornamentation is divided into two groups in the form of embellishments and free ornamentation. One of the main features of keyboard music in Western Europe is that it reflects the musical traditions of that period. It should be noted that the ornamentation in keyboard music underwent a period of rapid development in the Baroque era. The main characteristic feature here is the lack of regulation of decorations, its change depending on the school, style of performance. Later the concept of style in ornamentation was lost. Thus, in the classical era, the embellishments were already regulated and a common system of decorations in European keyboard music was adopted.